1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a treating device, and more particularly relates to a treating device wherein living body tissue is grasped between an ultrasonic probe and a jaw, and the living body tissue is subjected to treatment such as incision, excision, coagulation, dissection, or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
As of recent years, procedures have come to be performed wherein a slender endoscope is inserted into the body cavity so as to observe organs within the body cavity, and perform various types of medical treatment under endoscope observation as necessary.
One known method of the aforementioned medical treatment performed under endoscope observation is to perform medical treatment using a treating device. In the event that such a treating device uses ultrasonic waves for example as the energy for subjecting the living organism to treatment, the treating device is configured as an ultrasonic treating device, and is configured so as to enable treatment such as incision, excision, coagulation, or the like, by the living body tissue being grasped between an ultrasonic probe and a jaw.
Generally, such an ultrasonic treating device has a configuration in which an operator-side operating unit is connected to the base end portion of an outer sheath of an insertion portion, with an ultrasonic transducer for generating ultrasonic vibrations being disposed at this operating unit and a treating section for treating the living body tissue being disposed on the tip portion of the outer sheath of the insertion portion.
Also, a vibration transmitting member which is an ultrasonic probe for transmitting ultrasonic vibrations from the ultrasonic transducer to the treating section side is inserted through the interior of the outer sheath of the insertion portion. The base end portion of the vibration transmitting member is connected to the ultrasonic transducer. Further, a jaw is disposed on the treating section so as to be turnable as to the ultrasonic probe (vibration transmitting member).
Also, an operating handle for performing opening/closing operations of the jaw as to the ultrasonic probe is provided to the operating unit. Further, a jaw operating rod is inserted through the interior of the outer sheath of the insertion portion so as to be capable of advancing/retracting in the axial direction. The operating rod advances/retracts in the axial direction in accordance with the operations of the operating handle, so that the jaw of the treating section performs opening/closing operations as to the ultrasonic probe in accordance with the advancing/retracting actions of the operating rod. Such an arrangement enables the living body tissue to be grasped between the ultrasonic probe and the jaw by performing the closing operation of the jaw.
Next, the ultrasonic treating device transmits ultrasonic vibrations from the ultrasonic transducer to the treating section side via the vibration transmitting member, with the living body tissue thus grasped, thereby performing treatment such as incision, excision, coagulation, or the like, of tissue or blood vessels or the like while coagulating the living body tissue so as to prevent hemorrhaging due to frictional heat from mechanical vibrations.
Also, the reverse face from the grasping face on the tip side of the ultrasonic probe may be used with the ultrasonic treating device, so as to perform dissection treatment of living body tissue, such as dissecting the gallbladder from the liver.
A greater number of proposals have been made with such ultrasonic treating device with respect to conventional devices, in order to perform treatment such as incision, excision, coagulation, dissection, etc., of living body tissue, more efficiently.
For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-78714 discloses art relating to ultrasonic treating devices wherein, in addition to performing coagulation and incision of living body tissue while grasping the living body tissue between a treating section of a vibration transmission member which is an ultrasonic probe and a grasping section of a jaw, a spatula-shaped portion is provided on the tip end of the ultrasonic probe so as to facilitate dissection processing of living body tissue with the spatula-shaped portion.
Also, U.S. Pat. No. 6,432,118 B1 discloses art relating to ultrasonic treating devices wherein a tip portion is formed in a non-symmetrical curved shape as to the plane of turning direction of a jaw, and further, an edge portion is provided in the generally axial direction on a face of a vibration transmitting member which is an ultrasonic probe, opposite to a grasping face where living body tissue is grasped, thereby enabling dissecting processing in addition to performing incision, excision, and coagulation of living body tissue.